Guy sent me a text saying “Congratulations! I see you’ve turned your love of being photographed into a hobby of photography” he’d just seen my photos on Flickr.

Of course he’s being sarcastic, but he’s right about one thing; my newest hobby is photography. It’s not an entirely new hobby but I’ve been taking a lot of pictures lately.

And, I finally got a DSLR camera! A long time ago when I started noticing non-professional DSLRs, I promised myself that my next camera was going to be a digital SLR camera.

Even though I loved taking pictures, I’d never really considered my cameras before. My last camera was a Samsung NV7 OPS; and I got it solely for its looks. I fell in love with it while on vacation in the UK, it didn’t have great reviews so I resisted buying it, but the price dropped and I relented.

I loved it! It took amazing pictures, was a great conversation starter and turned me into a bit of a shutterbug. I loved it so much I put aside my dream of owning a DSLR and happily used my NV7 for two years.

I started researching DSLRs again after I joined a photography forum. I researched, read reviews and walked into camera shops and just talked to the staff. I found out that most of them are professional photographers in their other lives. I had very simple requirements for my first DSLR; I was looking for a budget friendly and good entry level DSLR that takes great pictures.

After much research I finally settled on the Canon EOS Rebel T1i (Canon EOS 500D). I went with Canon because P. has the 450D, we can share lenses and the 500D because it shoots HD videos.

I’ve been going out a lot since I got it; I’ve taken almost two thousand pictures and it hasn’t even been a month yet. I’m walking more, and getting better. I took one of those Intro to DSLR photography classes to familiarise myself with the controls, settings and jargons. I learn something new every time I take a shot as a digital SLR newbie.

I’m still using the kit lens, I’ll hold off getting a second lens for now, I’m researching. This weekend I’m going to rent a couple of lenses from a camera shop that has rentals and take it with me on my trip to Bowen Island.